Intelligence Squared

As the BBC’s Chief International Correspondent, Lyse Doucet has witnessed and reported on some of the most consequential events of our time. She has reported from Iran and Afghanistan since 1988, played a leading role in the BBC’s coverage of the Arab Spring uprisings reporting from Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Syria, and has covered major wars as well as efforts to make peace in the Middle East since 1994. In 2022 she covered the Russian invasion of Ukraine live from Kyiv as Putin’s tanks crossed the border. And most recently having reported on the ground in Iran in February 2026, Doucet has been a hugely insightful voice explaining the consequences of the U.S-Israeli led war on the country and what it means for the world. Doucet is renowned for her compassionate, human-centred reporting often in times of war and suffering. In September 2026, she came to the Intelligence Squared stage to share her reflections and insights from the frontlines. Doucet also discussed the themes and approach of her Women’s Priz

According to Anthony Scaramucci, former White House Communications Director, outspoken Trump critic and co-host of The Rest Is Politics: US, President Trump represents one of the greatest challenges America has ever faced. During the first half of his second presidency, Trump has waged war on Iran, threatened the future of NATO and clashed with allies. At home he jokes about cancelling elections, threatens the free press and tests the limits of executive power. With inflation biting and his approval ratings falling, November’s pivotal midterm elections will offer the first major verdict on his second term and the future of America. Is Trump politically vulnerable? Can Democrats capitalise on his mistakes? Is MAGA bigger than Trump—or will the battle to succeed him define the future of the Republican Party? How has Trump transformed American society, and how does he continue to threaten democracy at home and abroad? And after a decade of Trump, what does the next chapter look like for America and the world?

Kevin Fong has spent his working life in high-risk, high-performance teams. He flies as a Helicopter Emergency Medical Service doctor, has worked on NASA’s human spaceflight programme, and was part of the UK’s frontline response to major incidents and terror attacks.  In this episode, he joins Professor of Environment and Society, Helen Czerski, to discuss some of the most challenging and high-pressure emergencies he’s witnessed across his varied career and to offer some crucial, counter-intuitive insights into how the best teams and organisations succeed against the odds, learn from failure and go again. Fong suggests that decisions in the face of irreducible uncertainty are the ultimate team sport and their success depends wholly on the wider systems that support them. The ultimate lessons are these: never lose sight of the humans in the loop, and when it comes to managing fast-moving threats in the face of the unknown, the edge of chaos is exactly where you need to be. Kevin Fong Kevin Fong is a me

The internet was once imagined as a place that would bring us closer together – a shared space for curiosity, creativity and connection. So how did it become a machine for capturing our attention, amplifying division and shaping what billions of people see and believe? In this episode of Intelligence Squared, Conor Boyle speaks to journalist and technology entrepreneur Mark Little about the themes of his new book, The Last Good Day on the Internet: Finding Hope and Humanity in a Superhuman World. A former RTÉ foreign correspondent who went on to found the social news agency Storyful and online safety company Kinzen, as well as working with Twitter and Spotify, Little has witnessed the transformation of the internet from both inside the newsroom and inside the technology industry. Together they explore how the attention economy changed the web, why algorithms optimised for engagement have contributed to misinformation and polarisation, and what the rapid development of artificial intelligence could mean for

The post-war international order is under increasing strain. The principle that borders cannot be changed by force is being challenged –not only by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but by Donald Trump’s threats to seize Greenland, his undermining of longstanding alliances and his willingness to use military force abroad.In his new book, Betrayal, Guardian foreign correspondent Luke Harding argues that today’s world resembles not a new Cold War, defined by ideological rivalry, but a return to ‘Great Power’ politics, driven by military strength and national self-interest.In September 2026, Harding joined former Downing Street Director of Communications Alastair Campbell to examine how Trump and Putin are reshaping global politics. Drawing on Harding’s reporting from Ukraine and conversations with leaders including Volodymyr Zelensky, they explored how an era defined by liberal democracy, international cooperation and the rule of law is giving way to one increasingly defined by power, coercion and nationalism.Join

The post-war international order is under increasing strain. The principle that borders cannot be changed by force is being challenged –not only by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but by Donald Trump’s threats to seize Greenland, his undermining of longstanding alliances and his willingness to use military force abroad.In his new book, Betrayal, Guardian foreign correspondent Luke Harding argues that today’s world resembles not a new Cold War, defined by ideological rivalry, but a return to ‘Great Power’ politics, driven by military strength and national self-interest.In September 2026, Harding joined former Downing Street Director of Communications Alastair Campbell to examine how Trump and Putin are reshaping global politics. Drawing on Harding’s reporting from Ukraine and conversations with leaders including Volodymyr Zelensky, they explored how an era defined by liberal democracy, international cooperation and the rule of law is giving way to one increasingly defined by power, coercion and nationalism.Join

Francis Fukuyama is one of the most influential political thinkers of our time. His famous 1989 essay, The End of History? – written as the Berlin Wall fell and communism collapsed – posed a provocative idea: that Western liberal democracy had triumphed over ideology, and that it might be the “final form of human government”. Over three decades later in 2026, the world looks almost unrecognisable. Russia’s war in Ukraine accelerated a fracturing of the liberal rules-based order. The President of the United States has attacked Venezuela and Iran without seeking Congressional approval, UN Security Council backing or even building a coalition. And throughout the world polarisation, populism and authoritarianism have become potent threats to social order.  In September 2026 Fukuyama came to Intelligence Squared to reflect on the seismic political events that are shaping our world. He discussed the themes of his new political memoir, In The Realm of the Last Man, which presents an urgent

Francis Fukuyama is one of the most influential political thinkers of our time. His famous 1989 essay, The End of History? – written as the Berlin Wall fell and communism collapsed – posed a provocative idea: that Western liberal democracy had triumphed over ideology, and that it might be the “final form of human government”. Over three decades later in 2026, the world looks almost unrecognisable. Russia’s war in Ukraine accelerated a fracturing of the liberal rules-based order. The President of the United States has attacked Venezuela and Iran without seeking Congressional approval, UN Security Council backing or even building a coalition. And throughout the world polarisation, populism and authoritarianism have become potent threats to social order.  In September 2026 Fukuyama came to Intelligence Squared to reflect on the seismic political events that are shaping our world. He discussed the themes of his new political memoir, In The Realm of the Last Man, which presents an urgent

When the MeToo movement ignited in 2017, many believed it would be a turning point for women after which positive change would become inevitable. And for a brief time, it felt like the world was finally listening to women’s voices. But in 2026, that promise feels fragile. The rise of the manosphere, escalating violence against women and girls, and the weaponisation of social media have made speaking out more dangerous, more exhausting and more necessary than ever. Far from moving forward, in many ways it can feel like society’s attitudes towards women are going backwards. I|n June 2026 Intelligence Squared brought together a panel of voices to discuss the new threats facing women in modern culture. Jess Phillips, Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls, writer and social historian Juliet Nicolson, and BAFTA award-winning actor Joanna Scanlan joined host BBC News editor Katie Razzall to ask: what does it really mean for women to be heard in 2026? --- If

When the MeToo movement ignited in 2017, many believed it would be a turning point for women after which positive change would become inevitable. And for a brief time, it felt like the world was finally listening to women’s voices. But in 2026, that promise feels fragile. The rise of the manosphere, escalating violence against women and girls, and the weaponisation of social media have made speaking out more dangerous, more exhausting and more necessary than ever. Far from moving forward, in many ways it can feel like society’s attitudes towards women are going backwards. I|n June 2026 Intelligence Squared brought together a panel of voices to discuss the new threats facing women in modern culture. Jess Phillips, Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls, writer and social historian Juliet Nicolson, and BAFTA award-winning actor Joanna Scanlan joined host BBC News editor Katie Razzall to ask: what does it really mean for women to be heard in 2026? --- Thi

Liberal democracy was once a radical force. It challenged monarchies, expanded political rights and, at its most successful, helped deliver rising wages and shared prosperity. So how did it become associated with an establishment that growing numbers of voters have turned against? In this episode, researcher and author Carl Miller speaks with Nobel Prize-winning economist Daron Acemoglu about his new book What Happened to Liberal Democracy? Remaking a Politics of Shared Prosperity. Acemoglu traces the decline of liberalism through the collapse of its traditional working-class coalition, rising inequality and the transition from an industrial to a digital economy. He argues that automation has broken the old link between business growth and rising wages – and warns that AI could accelerate this divide by eliminating jobs without creating shared prosperity. So can liberal democracy reinvent itself before it is too late? Acemoglu makes the case for what he calls ‘working-class liberalism’: a new politics focu

Trade has shaped human civilisation for thousands of years. From the copper used in Mesopotamian ploughs to the silicon inside our smartphones, vast networks have evolved to move the materials and products on which modern life depends. Yet much of this system remains invisible, only becoming clear when disruption exposes how fragile and interconnected it really is. In this episode, host Carl Miller speaks with journalist and bestselling author Ed Conway about the hidden world behind the things we buy. Through the stories of bread, cloth and cars, Ed traces the extraordinary journeys taken by everyday products and reveals the people and supply chains that make them possible. From the Corn Laws to the National Loaf and the fish finger, he shows how trade has shaped what ends up on our shelves and plates. Why has trade become one of the defining geopolitical issues of our time? What happens when governments intervene in supply chains? And how does the global economy respond when those networks are ruptured? Dr

In 1988, eight men in Kingston, Jamaica, begin rehearsals for a play. Though strangers to one another, they share an inescapable truth: All of them are gay. And they live in a world that refuses to accept them. One night they are beaten and one of them is killed.  In this episode, Booker Prize-winning author Marlon James speaks with Mythili Rao on his newest novel The Disappearers. Described as a reckoning, the novel explores a violent incident that was rumoured to have happened but was never proven, its aftermath and retribution.  James and Rao discuss the hitherto unexplored impact of the AIDS crisis in eighties Jamaica and why fiction is ideally placed to explore the consequences of such a violent encounter.  Marlon James is the Booker Prize–winning and New York Times bestselling author of A Brief History of Seven Killings; the bestselling and National Book Award finalist Black Leopard, Red Wolf; as well as the bestselling Moon Witch, Spider King; The Book of Night Women; and John Crow’s

Adam Rutherford is a science broadcaster, and author of A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived, which transformed the way we think about human history. By using genetics to uncover the story of our species, it offered a thrilling new perspective on who we are and where we came from. David Olusoga is an award winning author and historian, whose work includes the TV series and book Black & British: A Forgotten History and the landmark BBC arts series Civilizations. In July 2026 they came to the Intelligence Squared stage to mark the tenth anniversary of A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived. Together, they explored how advances in DNA research have transformed our understanding of human history, and discussed what a decade of new discoveries has revealed about our past. From Neanderthals to the plague, from redheads to race, from evolution to epigenetics, they discussed what our genes can tell us about human history and our ancestors. Together, they dispelled some common myths, challenging misconce

Adam Rutherford is a science broadcaster, and author of A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived, which transformed the way we think about human history. By using genetics to uncover the story of our species, it offered a thrilling new perspective on who we are and where we came from. David Olusoga is an award winning author and historian, whose work includes the TV series and book Black & British: A Forgotten History and the landmark BBC arts series Civilizations. In July 2026 they came to the Intelligence Squared stage to mark the tenth anniversary of A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived. Together, they explored how advances in DNA research have transformed our understanding of human history, and discussed what a decade of new discoveries has revealed about our past. From Neanderthals to the plague, from redheads to race, from evolution to epigenetics, they discussed what our genes can tell us about human history and our ancestors. Together, they dispelled some common myths, challenging misconce

We live in the age of data. Over the past century, rapidly evolving technologies have transformed almost every aspect of our society, in ways that can seem both troubling and unstoppable. Political campaigns have been reduced to attention-mining algorithms, multinational corporations control public discourse, and the era of the liberal nation-state seems to be coming to an end, replaced by the rule of artificial intelligence. In her new book, The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State, historian Jill Lepore asks: what happens to democracy when governments hand more of the decisions that shape our lives to machines – and to the corporations that control them? In this episode, she joins host Mythili Rao to explore how a series of often well-intentioned technological developments brought us to where we are today; why the arrival of ChatGPT marked a historical turning point; and how today’s tech moguls have built infrastructures that increasingly rival the power of the democratic nation-state. By tracing the or

John Berger transformed the way generations thought about art, politics and the act of looking. Best known for Ways of Seeing, his work ranged across migration, capitalism, war and mortality, always asking how culture can help us understand the world around us. In this episode, writer and academic Shahidha Bari speaks with Tom Overton about his new book, John Berger: From Life. Overton first got to know Berger while cataloguing his archive at the British Library, where forgotten photographs, letters and manuscripts would prompt unexpected phone calls from Berger himself: “Can I tell you a story?” Why does Ways of Seeing still feel so radical? How did Berger’s politics shape his writing on art, migration and power? And why does his work continue to speak so directly to the present? Overton reflects on Berger’s collaborators, his political commitments and the enduring generosity of a thinker who believed art could create connection across time. Tom Overton is a writer, editor and researcher. His new book, Jo

Schools were promised that laptops, educational apps and artificial intelligence would make learning more personalised, engaging and effective. Cognitive neuroscientist and former teacher Dr Jared Cooney Horvath argues that the opposite may be true. In his new book, The Digital Delusion, Horvath contends that classroom technology can fracture attention, weaken deep reading and encourage children to outsource the mental effort through which learning happens. But does the evidence prove that technology is causing the decline—or merely show that the two have occurred at the same time? In this episode, Horvath joins Conor Boyle, Head of Programming at Intelligence Squared to examine the case against screens in schools, the growing use of AI tutors, the value of handwriting and human teaching, and wider social change.  --- If you'd like to become a Member and get access to all our full conversations, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. For

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has placed not only lives and cities under attack, but also the country’s language, history and culture. Museums have been looted, cultural sites destroyed and a generation of writers, artists and performers drawn into the war. Yet amid this devastation, art has become a powerful form of documentation, resistance and survival. In this episode, journalist and author Hannah Lucinda Smith speaks with Guardian chief culture writer Charlotte Higgins about her book Ukrainian Lessons: A Journey into the Art and Life of a Country at War and the reporting journeys that transformed her understanding of the relationship between culture and conflict. Charlotte reflects on arriving in Kyiv during a major missile attack, learning Ukrainian and meeting the artists determined to record their experiences in their own words. Why do writers turn to poetry in times of war? What makes people risk their lives to protect paintings, manuscripts and museum objects? And how can art restore mea

George Michael wrote Careless Whisper, one of the biggest pop songs of our age, in an hour in his childhood bedroom. Alongside his childhood best friend Andrew Ridgeley he founded Wham!, a revolutionary pop group which became one of the defining bands of the 1980s, selling over 30 million records. Yet behind the genius of George Michael was the complex personal story of Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou who grew up in a conservative Greek-Cypriot immigrant family and had a life shaped by shame, addiction, homophobia, tabloid scrutiny and extraordinary creative flair. Ten years on since his tragic death on Christmas Day in 2016, George Michael’s cultural legacy is as strong as ever, with his unforgettable hit song Last Christmas still playing on playlists and radio stations every December. In June 2026, Sathnam Sanghera, an award-winning journalist who has long written about immigrant communities in Britain and the legacy of empire, joined us live at Union Chapel to discuss his new book, Tonight the Music Seems S